Sonseed
Encyclopedia
Sonseed was a Catholic
pop band formed at the Church of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Brooklyn
, New York
in the late 1970s. The line-up included Sal Polichetti (bass, vocals); his then-wife Patricia Costagliola (keyboards, vocals); Frank Franco (guitar, vocals); and Nicky Sciarra (drums). Anne Lessing (vocals) was also involved in the band from the very start. There were others including Jim Archer (vocals)and Karen Archer (deceased) (acoustic guitar), Tom Zawacki (tambourine and vocals), Brother John Weiners, CSC (deceased) (vocals), Melody (vocals), Their sole album, First Fruit, was released in 1983. Sal Polichetti has also announced that in the summer of 2009 Sonseed will be releasing an EP on Arena Rock Records which includes selections from the original First Fruits album. A proposed follow-up, Just Can't Get Enough (Of Jesus!!!), with more new wave
and New Romantic
elements, never saw official release, but some bootleg tracks have surfaced.
As Patricia Costa, Costagliola recorded two albums, "Walk Forward" and "Give Your Love Away", with Polichetti, Franco and Sciarra as the backing band.
Nicky Sciarra became district manager of Community Board 7 in Sunset Park, Brooklyn. He died in 1993 after apparently choking on a sandwich.
For a brief period in the mid 1980's, John Foster played guitar with the touring band. He is prominently featured in the "Jesus is my friend" video.
The band came back into the spotlight in 2008 when a recording of them performing their song 'Jesus Is A Friend Of Mine', from a religious TV show, appeared on the Dougsploitation blog, and subsequently became a YouTube
hit, where it spawned several parodies. Polichetti performed the song live at the Bowery Poetry Club in New York City on November 14, 2009 with the ska-swing band Tri-State Conspiracy.
In mid to late 2009 the band's 1983 album became a recurring subject of theological scrutiny by Todd Friel of the FamilyNet
radio program called Wretched Radio. Friel eventually aired every track of the album over a several week period, the last song being aired on September 17, 2009.
In 2010, the internet video makers Smosh made a parody of the song "Jesus is a Friend of Mine" called "Vader is my Friend".
In 2011, FOX's Hit show Glee also did a cover of the song "Jesus is a Friend of Mine". During the Regional competition, the group "Aural Intensity" sang the song.
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
pop band formed at the Church of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
in the late 1970s. The line-up included Sal Polichetti (bass, vocals); his then-wife Patricia Costagliola (keyboards, vocals); Frank Franco (guitar, vocals); and Nicky Sciarra (drums). Anne Lessing (vocals) was also involved in the band from the very start. There were others including Jim Archer (vocals)and Karen Archer (deceased) (acoustic guitar), Tom Zawacki (tambourine and vocals), Brother John Weiners, CSC (deceased) (vocals), Melody (vocals), Their sole album, First Fruit, was released in 1983. Sal Polichetti has also announced that in the summer of 2009 Sonseed will be releasing an EP on Arena Rock Records which includes selections from the original First Fruits album. A proposed follow-up, Just Can't Get Enough (Of Jesus!!!), with more new wave
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
and New Romantic
New Romantic
New Romanticism , was a pop culture movement in the United Kingdom that began around 1979 and peaked around 1981. Developing in London nightclubs such as Billy's and The Blitz and spreading to other major cities in the UK, it was based around flamboyant, eccentric fashion and new wave music...
elements, never saw official release, but some bootleg tracks have surfaced.
As Patricia Costa, Costagliola recorded two albums, "Walk Forward" and "Give Your Love Away", with Polichetti, Franco and Sciarra as the backing band.
Nicky Sciarra became district manager of Community Board 7 in Sunset Park, Brooklyn. He died in 1993 after apparently choking on a sandwich.
For a brief period in the mid 1980's, John Foster played guitar with the touring band. He is prominently featured in the "Jesus is my friend" video.
The band came back into the spotlight in 2008 when a recording of them performing their song 'Jesus Is A Friend Of Mine', from a religious TV show, appeared on the Dougsploitation blog, and subsequently became a YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
hit, where it spawned several parodies. Polichetti performed the song live at the Bowery Poetry Club in New York City on November 14, 2009 with the ska-swing band Tri-State Conspiracy.
In mid to late 2009 the band's 1983 album became a recurring subject of theological scrutiny by Todd Friel of the FamilyNet
FamilyNet
FamilyNet is a broadcast television network owned by ComStar Media Fund and based in Atlanta, Georgia. The network was founded in 1979 as the National Christian Network, and took the name FamilyNet in 1988 under the ownership of Jerry Falwell. The channel was acquired by InTouch Ministries in...
radio program called Wretched Radio. Friel eventually aired every track of the album over a several week period, the last song being aired on September 17, 2009.
In 2010, the internet video makers Smosh made a parody of the song "Jesus is a Friend of Mine" called "Vader is my Friend".
In 2011, FOX's Hit show Glee also did a cover of the song "Jesus is a Friend of Mine". During the Regional competition, the group "Aural Intensity" sang the song.
External links
- http://cocatalog.loc.gov/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?v1=21&ti=1,21&Search%5FArg=First%20Fruit&Search%5FCode=TALL&CNT=25&PID=LM7LmX4q05vC2JsotWeHQzF9BDJ8&SEQ=20081013173835&SID=1 Copyright info for First Fruit.
- http://catalog.loc.gov/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?DB=local&BBID=5758775&v3=1 - Library of Congress entry for "sonseed".
- Sonseed on Arena Rock Recording Company.